May 2015
| Business World
61
the late 90s, early 2000s, people started refer-
ring to us as sustainable architects. All of a
sudden, people’s attitudes started to change
largely because of issues with sustainability
and space.”
With heating and cooling systems using a
tremendous amount of energy and adding to
homeowners’ bills, Altius Architecture de-
signs homes so that HVAC systems can be
integrated seamlessly within the base struc-
ture.
“We design building envelopes such that the
mechanical system is there to supplement the
building’s natural abilities rather than over-
come its shortfalls,” Smith explained. “We’re
very much about integration of systems, I’ve
always said ‘You’ve got dual-climate control
in your car, but not your house and if that
isn’t the dumbest thing anyone’s heard.’”
“We don’t do sustainability for sustainabil-
ity’s sake,” he continued. “It’s more about
saying to the client ‘Okay, you’re going to do
this, spend this, but it’s going to make you
more comfortable and the capital outlay that
you’re going to make will pay for itself in 5,
10 or 15 years.’”
